The Funeral

      I first encountered Matheson's work through The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery episodes fizzing through an old click knob black and white TV in the backroom of my Nana's house. As a child, each story was a goldmine. I wasn't allowed to watch horror movies, but these shows slipped under the radar as Nana found them campy and my parents weren't around. As soon as I started reading Matheson's short story, The Funeral, my nostalgia senses tingled. I remembered this Night Gallery segment fondly and the story it is based on I enjoyed even more.

      Matheson managed to poke a bit of fun at the pop culture monster while also making social commentary on the business of death in this piece. The premise of the story is simple and straightforward; a vampire client, Ludwig Asper, requests funeral services for himself from Morton Silkline. It is the way that Matheson presents his characters that makes the tale stick to the reader.

     Anper's funeral guest prove to be comical as they are stereotypical monster cliches. The hunchbacked Igor (written in as Ygor) speaks as one would expect from the Universal classic version of Frankenstein. A werewolf character in a hurry to hunt. A witch complete with feline familiar and pointy hat. The whole affair presided over by a Vampire from the Carpathian area (which isn't even a veiled nod to Dracula, it's a giant neon sign). As this was written in 1955, it makes sense that Matheson would want to have a bit of fun at the mega monster movies that have become cliched classics from the 1930's through the 1950's. No doubt these versions had become the established idea of the monster at the time and Matheson takes advantage of that popularity.

     The beauty of these characters is in the description, or rather lack thereof.  Matheson gives a skimp description of the monsters and utilizes dialogue and action to cement their personalities. There is enough detail for the reader to gather Jenny is a witch without Matheson having to go into detail of her costume or discuss ever wart on her face. This way the reader can fill in the monsters themselves, making the experience personal and keeping the plot moving along at a solid pace.

     The social commentary of the piece is centered on Silkline. He is portrayed as the typically greedy man making money from funerals. Through the whole ordeal even in the end when he is approached by a second monster client, he maintains his monetary motivation. Throughout the piece the word 'Tasty' is repeated several times in reference to the service. To me, that word pulled the story together. People often speak of 'Tasteful' events and this extends to funerals. When I hear someone say that the funeral had been tastefully done, I immediately think they mean that someone spent a great deal of money on it. Matheson twists this. The monsters feel the funeral is 'Tasty' as they are more motivated by a meal (likely human) than money or social status.

     Silkline is making a meal of funerals himself. He preys on the grieving, charging a great deal for a spectacle that has become tradition. This is reflected in the display of Asper's service. He spends an exorbitant amount for his friends to see him lying in a coffin and have them mourn his passing. The satire here is that this display doesn't alter anyone's situation. He is still dead (or rather undead) and his friends bicker around him, probably in a similar fashion as they normally do. Although Asper insists this is important and serious to him, it is overall money thrown at the wind. This is commentary on the modern business of death. A funeral can cost several thousands of dollars for a standard service and a ridiculous amount for an elaborate one. I couldn't help thinking Matheson was making a point at how silly it is to spend so much on a funeral. On the other hand, maybe I'm reading far too much into the story.

      Overall, I found The Funeral a fun read. Easy to digest with interesting characters in an unusual situation. Well work the few minutes it will take to read it.